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| Celebrating the paternal instinct | |
| AGKSPEAK | | A G Krishnamurthy / New Delhi December 05, 2008, 0:37 IST | |
WHAT I’VE LIKED
Why can’t Paternal can be Maternal too?
This is something that has bothered me ever since I became a father. From the days of Sita onwards, it has always been the mother who is credited with having the nurturing, protective instinct and not the Dad. The nurturing instinct might have been restricted to the mother perhaps in pre-historic times, but in today’s very evolved world, both parents equally nurture and provide for their children. Wouldn’t you agree it is a bit unfair to laud only the mother for this very natural ‘parental’ instinct?
It was with great pleasure then that I watched the Airtel commercial featuring Shreyas Talpade. It is so true to life, my life rather, that every time the ad comes on, it is my son who I see in it. It is one of the most touching pieces of communication that I have seen so far, perhaps because it taps deep into every parent’s psyche, both father and mother. It sensitively expresses that which we fear the most and very naturally weaves the product story around this concern.
It’s true that with the advent of mobile phones, it is easier for us to worry a lot less. I am told that in one of the language edits, where the boy assures the father that he will not be lost, that particular line has a second layer to it which also means that he will not go astray (there is no denying that it is a primary though unspoken concern with most parents). That is the beauty of Indian languages and I am so glad that the brand has made rich use of it.
The last time the father was used so powerfully in a communication was when we, at Mudra, did so in a campaign for Dhara – My Daddy strongest! May we see more of the same and finally make the scales more even, what do you say?
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
Cocooned with your own truths
Very recently, a friend of mind had a chat with the owner of an iconic brand. The brand, now well on its way to being a write-off, did enjoy a couple of decades of untouchable fame and glory. The current scenario on the contrary, is a very grim story and is quite apparent to industry watchers. So when this concerned friend tried to reach out to the owner, he was surprised to discover that the owner’s perspective was diametrically different from what the rest of the world believed. The owner was convinced that absolutely nothing was wrong with his brand.
This total contrast in perception was what led me to wonder what the truth really was. Was it the owner’s perception, or the outsider/friend’s point-of-view? There is a common saying that while a coin has two sides, truth has three—yours, mine and the real side. Each side believes what it wants to believe. And all of them believe that their take on it is the truth. An extension of this logic is apparent every morning when I read the papers. I read two language papers and one English newspaper. All three cover the same stories and events but with three starkly different perspectives! Frankly, it leaves me quite amused every morning.
As illustrated above, truth is not what we are told, but what we choose or want to believe. So does the truth really matter? Or is it all about what you make of it? Even though this is a subject of great debate and theories in the realm of professional philosophy, I guess the answer is simple, as Francis Bacon pointed out: “Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority”. If we can rid ourselves of our own biases and fears, we stand a pretty good chance of being able to know the truth ourselves. If not, then time, and only time can tell us if what we believed all along was true…or not.
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